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March 28, 2024 10:12 am
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MVHS Softball Plays In St. George Tournament

By GANNON HANEVOLD

Moapa Valley Progress

MVHS junior Abbie Evans prepares to swing the bat for the Pirates in a home game last week against Mojave. PHOTO BY KATELYN GARLICK/Moapa Valley Progress.

The Pirates completed a busy trek of games last week taking on a pair of 3A opponents before traveling to St. George, Utah, over the weekend for the March Warm-Up Tournament.

The Pirates took on the Western Warriors on Monday, Mar. 11. Moapa Valley took care of business, rolling to a 12-0 victory in just five innings.

Leading the Pirates offensively were Abbie Evans and Kyra Larsen, each with three RBIs. Emilie Barraza and Madi Fairchild split time on the mound. Barraza finished with six strikeouts.

The Pirates carried that momentum into Wednesday’s home season opener against Mojave. The Rattlers stunned the Pirates in the preseason last year, so Moapa knew not to take this opponent lightly.

Holding to a 1-0 lead in the second inning, the Pirates opened the game up early. Mackenzie Staheli earned a pair of RBIs with a base-clearing double that brought Allyson Stewart and Kyra Larsen home. Kaitlyn Anderson followed Staheli by clearing the infield once again as she blasted an inside-the-park home run into center field. The Pirates led 7-0 going into the third inning.

Stolen bases in the third inning boosted the score to 10-0 as the Pirate pitching and fielding remained strong.

In the fourth, the Pirates scored the necessary 15th run to end the game early as Kaitlyn Anderson drilled another deep hit to bring in three runners. Anderson later scored the 15th run on a steal of home plate and the Pirates began preparing for their weekend tournament.

The first game of the tourney came against Duchesne (UT) and the Pirates trailed 5-0 going into the bottom of the third inning. An incredible eleven run inning by Moapa Valley broke the game open and the Pirates rumbled their way to a 16-6 victory.
“They were just getting aggressive and realizing we could play,” said MVHS head coach Matt Messer. “Once it got full speed ahead, it was over from there.”

The game featured four RBIs on the stat sheet for Lainey Cornwall, Emilie Barraza, and Kaitlyn Anderson.

In the second game, the Pirates took on Pine View (UT) and struggled to revive the same offensive firepower.
“All of a sudden our bats just went quiet,” Messer said of the team’s offense.

He also commented on Moapa’s defense, saying, “We played okay defense, but they had girls all through the lineup that could hit the ball well. They were very disciplined.”
Moapa Valley lost 9-1.

In their third game of the day, Moapa took on Summit Academy (UT) and the Pirate offense sprang back to life. A remarkable 18-1 finish put an impressive stamp on the weekend. Emilie Barraza pitched a quick three innings.

On Saturday afternoon, the Pirates took on Beaver (UT) and eight unanswered runs by Beaver made the score 8-4 going into the final inning. In the final inning, junior Abbie Evans pulled off a two-run homer to cut the lead to 8-7. But the Pirates just couldn’t finish the task. They fell 8-7, and Beaver went on to finish the tournament undefeated.
“They just have a lot of athletes and it was a good game for us,” Messer said. “It was heartbreaking to lose, but I’m happy the girls didn’t give up.”

In their last game of the weekend, Moapa Valley took on Cottonwood (UT). Tied 4-4 in the fourth, the Pirates looked destined for another close game. Then a five-run inning put the game out of reach. The Pirates won it 9-5, ending their long and busy week on the right foot.

The Pirates will take on Democracy Prep on Wednesday and Del Sol on Friday with both games coming on the road.

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